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New/ongoing volcanic activity/unrest at 24 volcanoes across the globe

Fuego volcano [Volcán de Fuego, or “Volcano of Fire,”] located about 40 km southwest of Guatemalan capital, spewed ash into the air on Saturday, prompting the authorities to evacuate a nearby community and forcing the closure of the capital’s international airport.

At least a dozen flights were cancelled after the main airport in the capital Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción, aka Guatemala City, was shut down.

On September 13, 2012 the 3,763-meter-high volcano erupted forcing the authorities to evacuate tens of thousands of people from 20 or so villages near the mountain.

Latest Volcanic Activity/Unrest

Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii
Kīlauea continues to erupt at its summit and from its East Rift Zone. The June 27th lava flow remains about 500 m (~550 yd) from Highway 130 in the area west of the Pāhoa Fire and Police Stations. The flow has not advanced downslope in more than a week, but many breakouts are active upslope, said HVO. Code: ORANGE.

Piton de la Fournaise, island of La Reunion in Indian Ocean (France)
“Peak of the Furnace” in the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion erupted on February 4, 2015. The previous significant eruption, which lasted for two days, began on December 9, 2010.

Piton de la Fournaise volcano, aka,“Peak of the Furnace,” a shield volcano on the eastern side of (France-administered) Réunion island in the Indian Ocean erupts, February 5, 2015. (Photo Source: chinanews.com).More images…

Ruapehu, North Island, NZWater temperatures at Ruapehu’s summit Crater Lake have been increasing from about 15C to 40C since late December, said Geonet. The company also reported increased levels of volcanic gas emissions through the lake, which is changing color from blue-green to gray due to convection.

Soputan, Sulawesi, Indonesia
The volcano spewed an ash plume to an altitude of more than 6 km (20,000 ft) on February 2, 2015.

For a list of the ongoing eruption/unrest at 13 other volcanoes see weekly reports HERE.

Lava from Kilauea Volcano advancing 250 meters per day

Hawai‘i County Mayor has signed a state of emergency proclamation due to the advancing lava flow in the Wao Kele O Puna area after the flow extended to less than 1.5km from the edge of the Ka‘ohe Homesteads subdivision, said the mayor’s office.

It’s believed that at least 8,211 people (based on 2010 Census) residing in the subdivision of Hawaiian Beaches are directly threatened by the lava flow. However, the number is unrepresentative of the present population since the District of Puna is the fastest growing population in the State, said the Mayor’s Proclamation.

“We are taking this step to ensure our residents have time to prepare their families, their pets, and their livestock for a safe and orderly evacuation from Ka‘ohe in the event the flow continues to advance,” said Mayor Kenoi.

No evacuation orders have yet been issued, said Hawaii County Civil Defense; however, the risk of lava flow affecting the subdivision is increasing daily.

Volcanic Activity Summary: On June 27, 2014, new vents opened on the northeast flank of the Pu‘u ‘O‘o cone that fed a narrow lava flow to the east-northeast. On August 18, the flow entered a ground crack, traveled underground for several days, then resurfaced to form a small lava pad. The sequence was repeated twice more over the following days with lava entering other cracks and reappearing farther downslope. In this way, the flow had advanced approximately 13.2 km (8.2 miles) from the vent, or to within 1.3 km (0.8 miles) of the eastern boundary of the Wao Kele o Puna Forest Reserve, by the afternoon of September 3. Overnight, lava did not appear to advance farther east within the crack system, but surface flows advanced about 100 m to the northeast. At the average rate of advancement of 250 m/day (820 ft/day) since July 10, we project that lava could reach the Kaohe Homesteads boundary within 5-7 days should lava resume advancing within the crack system.

Kaohe Homesteads is located between the Wao Kele o Puna Forest Reserve and the town of Pāhoa in the Puna District of the County of Hawai`i.

Remarks: The Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō vent in the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano began erupting on January 3, 1983, and has continued erupting for more than 31 years, with the majority of lava flows advancing to the south. Over the past two years, lava flows have issued from the vent toward the northeast. The June 27th flow is the most recent of these flows and the first to threaten a residential area since 2010-2011.

The June 27th lava flow remains active, with lava at the flow front issuing from a ground crack and advancing through thick forest, creating dense plumes of smoke. The farthest lava this afternoon was 13.2 km (8.2 miles) from the vent on Puʻu ʻŌʻō, and 1.3 km (0.8 miles) from the eastern boundary of the Wao Kele o Puna forest reserve. This forest reserve boundary is at the western boundary of Kaohe Homesteads subdivision, a portion of which is visible at the bottom of the photograph. (Source: HVO)

The surface flows at the front of the June 27th lava flow are fed by lava that is supplied through a lava tube that originates at the vent on Puʻu ʻŌʻō. This thermal image shows the lava tube close to Puʻu ʻŌʻō. Although the lava is several meters (yards) beneath the surface, it heats the surface sufficiently to be easily detected with thermal cameras.

Iceland has once again raised its aviation warning to the highest level after a new fissure eruption in Holuhraun lava field near Bardarbunga volcano.

“It appears that the eruptive fissure is longer than in the last eruption. It is extending north and south on the same . The eruption is a very calm lava eruption and can hardly be seen on seismometers. Visual observation confirm it is calm, but continuous.”

Currently, only lava is erupting, but no ash has been observed, added IMO.

Sunday eruption from a new fissure in Holuhraun lava field

Image via Xinhua.

Photo: Benedikt Gunnar Ófeigsson/IMO. Image may be subject to copyright

The eruption prompted IMO to raise the aviation warning code to ‘red’ for the large area that houses the Bardarbunga volcanic system.

The new fissure is located very close to the Friday’s, with the fracture extending further to the north, said a researcher.

The latest eruption is said to be far more more intense than Friday’s, with the lava flow estimated to be more than 10 times greater.

Meantime, seismicity continues on a 15-km-long region of the dyke intrusion, said IMO, “extending both into the Dyngjujökull glacier and the region north of the ice margin. Earthquakes have not migrated northwards during the last two days.”

An estimated 500 million cubic meters of lava has flowed from beneath the volcano in a long dyke since last week.

VOLCANIC HAZARDSCENARIOS 07, 070.

Volcanic Activity Continues at Japan’s Sakurajima

Sakurajima’s eruption on Friday was the most powerful one at the volcano since last month when the volcano spewed large columns of ash with rivers of lava flowing in the direction of nearby Ibusiki City.

Ash clouds from Mt. Sakurajima explosion reached a height of 4,500 meters, the second-highest since 1955. A record of 5,000 meters was set in 2013.

Ash fall was reported late Friday evening in areas southeast of the volcano.

One of the most active volcanoes in the world, Sakurajima is located in Kagoshima Bay, southern Kyushu, Japan (about 1,100km WSW of Tokyo). The composite volcano has three peaks: Kitadake, Nakadake and Minamidake (southern peak).

VOLCANIC HAZARDSCENARIO 07.

Pavlof Eruption Ongoing, Conditions Could Worsen Rapidly: AVO

Intense activity at Pavlov Volcano prompted the authorities to issue a red alert on Monday, the first in five years. The alert level has since been changed to “ORANGE.”

Plume of smoke and ash reached as high as 7,500 meters on Tuesday; however, seismic activity has decreased over the past 12 hours to much lower levels than that of Monday, Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) reported.

“Recent satellite data and web camera views of the eruption plume indicate that there are now two distinct parts of the plume. The part of the plume that reaches high above the volcano appears to be mainly steam and gas with minor ash present, extending south of the volcano. Additionally, pyroclastic flow activity on the north flank is producing diffuse ash emissions that result in areas of hazy air, with variable concentrations of ash below 10,000 ft.”

Ongoing pyroclastic and lahar activity have created hazardous conditions on the north flank and north side drainages heading on the volcano, said AVO, adding that large, more ash-rich plumes could develop with little or no warning.

Lava fountaining from the summit vent on Pavlof. View is from the southwest. Ash and steam clouds rise up to about 20,000 ft. ASL. Date: June 2, 2014 11:36 AM. Photo credit: AVO/ R. Kremer

VOLCANIC HAZARDSCENARIOS 07.

Mass evacuations ordered as Santa María continues to erupt

Santa María volcano (volcán Santiaguito) is a large active volcano located in the Western Highlands of Guatemala, near he city of Quetzaltenango. The volcano has been eruting since May 9, 2014, forcing the authorities to evacuate hundreds of people.

Lahar races down a river valley near El Palmar

Original caption: Image provided by Guatemala’s Prensa Libre Newspaper on May 9, 2014 shows a man watching the volcanic material descending at El Palmar municipalty of Quetzaltenango department in Guatemala. The Santiaguito volcano continues its explosive activity with less intensity, according to technicians of Guatemala’s Disaster Reduction National Coordinator, according to local press. (Xinhua/Prensa Libre)

Santa María volcano erupts. Credit Daniel Leclair/ Reuters

Santa María’s eruption in 1902 is recorded as the fourth largest volcanic explosion of the 20th century with a VEI of 6 [‘Colossal’.]

The volcanic ash from the eruption was detected as far away as San Francisco, more than 4,000 km away.

VOLCANIC HAZARDSCENARIOS 07.

Rivers of of lava and large columns of ash moving in the direction of Ibusiki City

Sakurajima’s eruption on Sunday was the most powerful one at the volcano so far this year.

The explosion ejected a column of ash and smoke to a height of about 4.5km above the Minamidake crater, according to local reports.

One of the most active volcanoes in the world, Sakurajima is located in Kagoshima Bay, southern Kyushu, Japan (about 1,100km WSW of Tokyo). The composite volcano has three peaks: Kitadake, Nakadake and Minamidake (southern peak).

Since 1955 the Minamidake crater has been continually active. The ongoing activity includes strong strombolian to ash explosions at least once and as many as 8 times a day.

The volcano was placed under a Level 3 (orange) alert by the Japan Meteorological Agency on March 21, 2012.

Sumatra volcano in deadly eruption

Mt Sinabung Erupted three times on Saturday leaving at least 14 people dead, including a group of school children from Medan on a science trip, and three others critically injured. Authorities were again forced to evacuate tens of thousands of people from 16 villages from the 5km – 7km exclusion zone near the volcano.

“This is the first direct impact of the Mt. Sinabung eruptions. Before the Saturday incident, the ongoing eruptions have already claimed the lives of 31 evacuees, as a result of various illnesses such as breathing difficulties, depression, asthma and hypertension.” Jakarta Post reported.

Some 14,000 of more than 30,000 evacuees had just been allowed to return home on Friday, following earlier eruptions.

Map of Volcanoes. Background Map: University of Michigan. Designed and enhanced by Fire Earth Blog.Click image to enlarge.

The PVMBG categorizes Sinabung as a type A volcano, or those that have erupted since 1600. Type B volcanoes have not erupted since 1600 but show signs of activity, and type C are those that have not erupted in recorded history.

Indonesian Volcanoes

Indonesian Volcanoes have been responsible for a number of cataclysmic explosions in modern history.

An 1888 lithograph of the 1883 violent explosion of Krakatau.

Based on their models, our colleagues at EDRO forecast that volcanic activity on the island of Sumatra could cause the collapse of Singapore. However, they have not disclosed any further detail.

Mt Sinabung erupted explosively again on November 12, 2013 for a second time in 9 days. Image credit: CRIonLine via Xinhua. More images…

18,000 people evacuated as Sinabung activity intensifies

Mt Sinabung’s latest explosive eruption has prompted the authorities to raise the volcanic alert to the highest level, “siaga,” or “red alert,” according to Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center.

The alert level was raised from “orange” or “level III ” to the highest level “red” or “level IV” by PVMBG on Sunday, as the authorities evacuated an additional 11,618 residents from 19 villages and expanded the evacuation zone to a 5-km exclusion zone from 3 km previously.

“This is Sinabung’s highest level of activity. The intensity of the eruptions continues to increase,” said Hendrasto, head of PVMBG.

Villagers evacuate to a safe area, as Mount Sinabung ejects ash into air at Aman Teran village in Karo district, Indonesia’s North Sumatra province, November 24, 2013. Credit: Reuters/YT Haryono. More images…

As of 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, Sinabung was continuing to eject an 8-km high column of smoke and ash into the air, he said.

Some 6,000 villagers had already been evacuated from the 3-km exclusion zone, about 90 km from Medan, capital of North Sumatra province.

Map of Volcanoes. Background Map: University of Michigan. Designed and enhanced by Fire Earth Blog.Click image to enlarge.

The PVMBG categorizes Sinabung as a type A volcano, or those that have erupted since 1600. Type B volcanoes have not erupted since 1600 but show signs of activity, and type C are those that have not erupted in recorded history.

Mount Sinabung ejected tephra into the air as seen from Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 3, 2010. (AP Photo/Dedy Zulkifli). Image may be subject to copyright.

Indonesian Volcanoes

Indonesian Volcanoes have been responsible for a number of cataclysmic explosions in modern history.

An 1888 lithograph of the 1883 violent explosion of Krakatau.

Based on their models, our colleagues at EDRO forecast that the collapse of Singapore may occur as a result of volcanic activity on the island of Sumatra. However, they have not disclosed any further detail.

Warning issued to Pacific shipping after volcano erupts, forming a new Island

Authorities have warned shipping in the Pacific Ocean to maintain vigilance for airborne volcanic material after a volcano erupted near one of the Ogasawara Islands, some 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo, NHK reported Japan’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) as saying.

Japan Coast Guard has confirmed black smoke spewing out of a new land mass about 500 meters southeast of Nishinoshima island, JMA said

Video footage shows a plume of black and white smoke and steam rising to a height of more than 600 meters above a new landmass measuring about 200 meters across.

Black and white smoke and steam rising to a height of more than 600 meters above a new 200-m long landmass created by volcanic eruption near Nishino shima, Bonin Islands, south of Japan. Screenshot from NHK news video clip.

In 2010, one of the volcanoes in the region erupted, spewing smoke and ash to a height of about about 100 meters above the sea level. The surrounding sea area changed to a greenish-yellow color with nearby areas turning cloudy.

JMA said the volcano, called Fukutokuokanoba, had erupted seven times since 1904, forming ephemeral islands (temporary land masses) on three occasions, all of which later sank below the ocean surface.

The first known ephemeral island called Shin-Iwo-jima (New Sulfur Island) was formed in 1904, and the most recent in 1986.

What the Volcano Islands Look Like

North Iwo Jima Island (Official Japanese name Kita-iōtō, but commonly known as Kita-iōjima, meaning “north sulfur island”) is the northernmost island of the Volcano Islands cluster of the Ogasawara Islands, about 1175 km south of Tokyo. Image Credit: Chisatos

Mt ETNA erupted, shooting up towering columns of ash into the air

The eruption from Europe’s most active volcano ejected towering columns of ash and fountains of molten lava over Sicily Saturday night.

Etna, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, is in an almost constant state of activity. The eruption was the 16th paroxysmal explosion at Etna so far this year, forcing officials at Cantania Airport to close airspace above much of Sicily as a precautionary measure.

Mt Etna is the largest of the three active volcanoes in Italy, covering an area of about 1,200km², with a basal circumference of 140km. More than a quarter of Sicily’s live on the slopes of the 3,330-meter volcano.Volcanic activity first occurred at Etna about 500,000 years ago.

A massive lava flow from an eruption in November 1928 destroyed the village of Mascali. Other major 20th-century eruptions occurred in 1949, 1971, 1981, 1983 and 1991–1993.

Massive Volcano Discovered in NW Pacific Ocean

Researchers have discovered an immense shield volcano on the seabed, northwest Pacific Ocean.

Tamu Massif is said to be the oldest and largest edifice of the Shatsky Rise oceanic plateau in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.

A single, immense volcano, Tamu Massif is constructed from massive lava flows that erupted from the center of volcano to form a broad, shield-like dome some 145 million years ago.

Researchers writing in the journal Nature Geoscience suggest the 310,000 km² (119,000 mi²) Tamu Massif could be the largest single volcano on Earth, comparable in size only to the Olympus Mons on Mars, believed to be the largest volcano in the Solar System.

The Tamu Massif Volcano ~ 32.5ºN, 158.4ºE

Rising 3.5km above the seabed, Massif lies about 2km below the sea, and is rooted more than 30 km into the earth’s crust on the Shatsky Rise, some 1,600 km east of Japan.

“We don’t have the data to see inside them and know their structure, but it would not surprise me to find out that there are more like Tamu out there,” said Dr Sager, one of the researchers at the University of Houston.

“Indeed, the biggest oceanic plateau is Ontong Java plateau, near the equator in the Pacific, east of the Solomons Islands. It is much bigger than Tamu—it’s the size of France.” [Tamu is nearly the size of Norway. Editor]

Key point

“One interesting angle is that there were lots of oceanic plateaus (that) erupted during the Cretaceous Period (145-65 million years ago) but we don’t see them since. Scientists would like to know why.” Sager said.

Pavlof ejects ash and steam, as lava flows down its NW flank

Pavlof Volcano, the second Volcano in the Aleutians to become active, began erupting on Monday and was still spewing clouds of ash and steam on Wednesday, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) said.

The volcano has been emitting intermittent dark clouds of ash and steam rising up to 20,000 feet a.s.l. and drifting in a northeasterly direction, the observatory said.

Mt Cleveland, the other currently active Alaskan volcano, has been erupting intermittently since 2011.

Volcanic ash from Pavlof and other Alaska volcanoes could pose a threat to air traffic in the region.

Pavlof Activity: Color CodeORANGE– Alert Level WATCH

PAVLOF VOLCANO (CAVW #1102-03-) 55°25’2″ N 161°53’37” W

Summit Elevation: 2,518 m (8261 ft)

Pavlof Volcano in eruption. View is from the southwest in Cold Bay. Lava fountaining is visible near the summit, and steam and ash clouds rise from the northwest flank where a lava flow advances down the slope.May 14, 2013 11:26 AM AKDT. Credit: Rachel Kremer/AVO

The eruption of Pavlof Volcano continues. Elevated seismic activity persists and a steam and ash cloud are visible in web camera images rising occasionally up to about 20,000 ft. above sea level. A diffuse ash plume was reported late last night at an altitude of 15,000 above sea level and extending downwind to the northeast for up to 100 miles before dissipating. A recent pilot report today indicated a dark ash cloud extending east-northeast at an altitude of 20,000 above sea level. National Weather Service issued a Sigmet yesterday that remains active today.

Residents of Cold Bay, located 37 miles southwest of the volcano, observed incandescent glow at the summit during the night. Pilot reports and photographs from yesterday afternoon indicate that the lava flow extending down the northwest flank is still active and has generated debris-laden flow deposits, presumably from interaction of hot lava with the snow and ice on the flank.

Elevated surface temperatures continued at Cleveland Volcano over the past 24 hours. No explosions have been detected by regional infrasound data. There has been no further information about the lava flow.

Sudden explosions of blocks and ash are possible with little or no warning. Ash clouds, if produced, could exceed 20,000 feet above sea level. If a large ash-producing event occurs, nearby seismic, infrasound, or volcanic lightning networks should alert AVO staff quickly. However, for some events, a delay of several hours is possible. Cleveland Volcano does not have a local seismic network and is monitored using only distant seismic and infrasound instruments and satellite data.

AVO will continue to monitor these volcanoes and issue additional information as available.

Code DefinitionsORANGE Volcano is exhibiting heightened or escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption, timeframe uncertain, OR eruption is underway with no or minor volcanic-ash emissions [ash-plume height specified, if possible].

WATCH: Volcano is exhibiting heightened or escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption, timeframe uncertain, OR eruption is underway but poses limited hazards.

Volcán Popocatépetl Alert Level Raised to 3

Mexcio’c National Center for Disaster Prevention (CENAPRED), has raised the volcanic activity alert to Yellow Phase 3 from Yellow Phase 2 on Sunday, after detecting increased level of explosive activity at the towering volcano.

Yellow Phase 3 alert means the volcano could explode ejecting lava and other volcanic matter over considerable distances, according to CENAPRED chart.

Mount Soputan, one of Sulawesi island’s most active volcanoes, erupted again on Sunday

North Sulawesi’s Soputan volcano erupted on Sunday at about 6:00 am local time, ejecting a column of volcanic gases about 6km into the air.

However, no evacuation order was issued as the volcano did not pose an immediate danger, officials said.

“They nearest residents live some eight kilometers from the mountain and so evacuation is not yet necessary [since the current evacuation zone was set at a 6km radius around the volcano, a forested area that is uninhabited,]” spokesman of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said.

“Last night, at around 11 pm, the mountain entered its eruption phase,” he said.

Mt Soputan is located about 2,160 km (1,340 miles) northeast of Indonesian capital Jakarta. The volcano had previously erupted in 2008.

Soputan volcano spews thick smoke and heat clouds in Minahasa on October 7, 2008. Source: AFP. Image may be subject to copyright.

Indonesia, which sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, is home to 150 listed volcanoes, some 109 to 130 of which are regarded as active, according to various sources.

A Map of Listed Volcanoes of Indonesia.

Summary of Volcano Details

Soputan on a restful day!

The small Soputan stratovolcano, seen here from the west, was constructed on the southern rim of the Quaternary Tondano caldera in northern Sulawesi Island. The youthful, largely unvegetated Soputan volcano is one of Sulawesi’s most active volcanoes. During historical time the locus of eruptions has included both the summit crater and Aeseput, a prominent NE flank vent that formed in 1906 and was the source of intermittent major lava flows until 1924. Photo (undated) by Agus Solihin (Volcanological Survey of Indonesia). Image and caption:GVP.

Pacific Ring of Fire

The Pacific Ring of Fire is an area of frequent siesmic activity and volcanic eruptions caused by plate tectonic movements. Encircling the basin of the Pacific Ocean, which contains oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts, the 40,000 km Ring of Fire is home to 452 volcanoes. About ninety percent of the world’s earthquakes including 80% of the world’s major earthquakes occur along the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Volcanic arcs and oceanic trenches partly encircling the Pacific Basin form the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The trenches are shown in blue-green. The volcanic island arcs, although not labeled, are parallel to, and always landward of, the trenches. For example, the island arc associated with the Aleutian Trench is represented by the long chain of volcanoes that make up the Aleutian Islands. (Source: USGS.)

The ash clouds have severely affected airline operations in South America.
Among the hardest hit airlines are Chile’s LAN and Brazil’s TAM and Gol, media reported.

“There are no signs that the situation is going to change or stabilize in the short term,” said director of Chile’s national service of geology and mining (SERNAGEOMIN).

“Fine ash, like we have seen from this latest eruption, could last (in the air) for months. If the ash column continues to measure up to 5.5 miles, it can spread easily. The higher the ash, the more it is blown elsewhere.”

Continuous eruption from Puyehue-Cordón Volcano Complex in Chile continues to eject large plumes of ash and volcanic gasses into the atmosphere, depositing thick layers of ash east of the volcano, as shown in this image captured by MODIS on the Terra satellite on June 13. The large mountain of ash could lead to deadly landslide and lahars, NASA reported SERNAGEOMIN as saying. Meantime, the ash is disrupting flights as far away as Australia and New Zealand. Source: NASA-EO. Click image to enlarge. Download largest image (3 MB, JPEG)

Correction: Nabro Volcano in Eritrea Erupts Ejecting a 15-km Plume of Ash into the Atmosphere

… there’s a strong probability that the quakes may have primed one or more regional volcanoes for eruption.

Nabro Volcano erupted around midnight Sunday local time, ejecting a 15-km plume of ash into the air, reports said.

The volcano, which is located about 375 km southeast of the Eritrean capital Asmara, sits within the Afar Triangle, a tectonic triple junction.

Nabro volcano, Eritrea, sits close to the border with Ethiopia. Credit: ESA/NASA. Click image to enlarge.

Nabro eruption is captured in this photo-like image by MODIS on the Aqua satellite on June 13, 2011. “Initial reports from news agencies and the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in Toulouse, France, proclaimed the eruption to be occurring at Dubbi, a volcano further south. But later reports from volcanologists,field scientists, and the satellite image above appear to confirm the eruption at Nabro. There are no historical reports of eruptions at Nabro before today.” Image and caption: NASA-EO. Click image to enlarge. Download largest image (4 MB, JPG)

The fact that there was no historic record of eruption at Nabro volcano may explain why the French VAAC got it wrong initially, attributing the eruption to the Dubbi volcano – EDRO

The large caldera below and to the left of the center of this Space Shuttle photo of the Danakil Alps of Ethiopia is Nabro. The 2218-m-high Nabro stratovolcano is the highest volcano in the Danakil depression and is truncated by nested calderas 10 and 5 km in diameter. The larger caldera is widely breached to the SW. Nabro was constructed primarily of rhyolitic lava flows and pyroclastics. The 8-km-wide Mallahle caldera is at the lower left, and the dark-colored lava flows at the right are from Dubbi volcano. NASA Space Shuttle image S-61A-36, 1985. Caption: GVP

Nabro (top) and Mallahle (bottom) volcanic calderas. This false-color topographical image of the two volcanoes was produced by NASA. Click image to enlarge.

Map of East Africa showing some of the historically active volcanoes (red triangles) and the Afar Triangle (shaded, center)— a so-called triple junction (or triple point), where three plates are pulling away from one another: the Arabian Plate, and the two parts of the African Plate (the Nubian and the Somalian) splitting along the East African Rift Zone. Source: USGS

A map showing the approximate location of Nabro and Dubbi Volcanoes. The yellow circles mark the epicenters of the recent quakes that struck the area. Red stars are the two largest shocks in the swarm measuring 5.7Mw. Click image to enlarge.

The huge ash cloud ejected by the volcano is said to be moving across the Horn of Africa, threatening air travel. The German airline Lufthansa said on Monday it had cancelled two flights, one a flight out of the Eritrean capital Asmara, and the other into Addis Ababa.

The ash plume also forced the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to curtail her visit to the region. Ironically, Obama was forced to abandon his visit to Ireland when Iceland’s Grímsvötn volcano erupted last month.

Puyehue pauses, ash cloud persists

Argentine Patagonian resort town of Bariloche remains at red alert

The volcanic tremors have dropped significantly, Chile’s National Emergency Office of was reported as saying. The tremors had averaged 240 per hour during the first 12 hours, but dropped to about 17 an hour on Sunday.

Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. Utility workers use bulldozers to remove large amounts of volcanic ash from Puyehue eruption carried across the Andes easterly winds and dumped on their city. Photo: Alfredo Leiva/Associated Press. Image may be subject to copyright.

Nearby residents are said to be extremely worried about the welfare of their cattle and other farm animals.

“Ash was dumped like a snowstorm. The city is covered in gray ash,” a Bariloche official, told Chile’s national TV.

“We’re trying to stop car traffic and ask that people stay at home and close their doors and windows to prevent the volcanic ash from coming in.”

Bariloche airport remains closed, and Aerolineas Argentinas flights to the area are cancelled.

Meanwhile, officials in the small Argentine Andean town of La Angostura announced that the town of 16,000 people was on “red alert,” urging the residents to stay at home and conserve water, a report said.